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Monday May 12, 2014 6:10 AM

Flashpoints over race in America — often caused by stupid comments from politicians, athletes
and entertainment celebrities — usually last a few days and then quickly dissipate.

Often, there’s a call for another national discussion, which basically takes place in the media,
and we return to business as usual without any significant change in attitude, public policy or
corporate conduct.

But the case of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whose publicized racist comments
caused a national firestorm, seems to be having much more fallout with perhaps a more lasting
impact.

National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver, who had been on the job only three
months, lowered the hammer on Sterling by banning him for life from the NBA, issuing a $2.5 million
fine and moving to force Sterling to sell his team.

The swift, tough sanctions were heralded by people around the country, including many current
and former players.

Many Clippers sponsors already had dropped their support of the team, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti said he would urge fans to boycott the team if Sterling fights to hold on to his
ownership.

Another casualty has been the NAACP, the venerable civil-rights organization, whose L.A. chapter
was planning to give Sterling its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, for the second
time. The group rescinded that action, but the chapter’s president felt compelled to resign over
the flap.

People were shocked that the NAACP would ever have given such an award to a person who had a
long history of racism. But the group, like many nonprofits, often gives awards to people who give
it money.

Then there are the NBA players who, by the way, were silent when basketball all-star and
Clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor sued Sterling for age and racial discrimination. Former
player Chris Webber said NBA athletes owe Baylor an apology “because he told us this man was a
racist, and none of us spoke up for him.”

I agree.

But as the players celebrate Silver’s punishment of Sterling, one judge in Tarrant County,
Texas, thinks they may come to regret the harsh treatment of the Clippers owner.

Judge Daryl R. Coffey of County Criminal Court No. 8 studied labor law in college, has been
involved in collective bargaining agreements and has represented pro athletes.

When Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban first commented on the Sterling matter, he was very
cautious, calling it a “slippery slope,” a reaction I thought was rather lame from one who has been
known to be bombastic.

But Coffey used the same phrase while suggesting that in the next collective-bargaining
agreement and in individual contracts, owners will insist on much stricter morals-and-values
clauses for athletes, making it easier to get rid of a player they don’t want.

For the athlete who is a “bust” (less valuable than the team thought when he was signed), Coffey
said an owner will be able to cut him when he says something stupid, “not just about race; about
anything.”

He noted the number of athletes who are involved in domestic disputes, who have drug and alcohol
problems and who get arrested but are never convicted. The precedent now set with this owner,
Coffey said, means “you’ll be able to cut them if they do anything considered detrimental to the
sport.”

Coffey added, “If you can take a multimillion-dollar franchise from someone, you definitely will
be able to cut a few million-dollar players.”

He’s probably right.

But Silver’s actions in this case sent a powerful message, not only to the NBA and the world of
sports, but to all of America.

It won’t be long before we return to business as usual. That is, until the next racial
flashpoint.